We were perusing the ADOT Construction Manual just recently (because, really, who doesn’t enjoy reading a good manual every now and then?) and we came across a passage that terrifically sums up ADOT’s Project Development Process ...

As you can see in the video above, girders are the concrete and steel beams that enable the bridge to support the roadway and the vehicles on top of it.
They’re vital to the design of a bridge, but not all girders are the same…

Remember this awesome time-lapse video showing the construction of a temporary bypass at Greenway Road and the Loop 303?
Well, today we’ve got an even more in-depth look at how crews built the new intersection – complete with temporary barriers, fences and traffic signals – in just about 43 hours! (Take a look at the photos below for an amazing before and after aerial glimpse of the new bypass!)

Accommodating existing traffic is a key priority when ADOT builds a freeway …
Depending on the project, that can mean working out a construction schedule that takes rush hours into account or hiring extra crews to flag and direct traffic through the site.

Last month, as part of our Building a Freeway series, we told you about the massive underground support substructures that help give bridges strength.
Next up in the series is an important -- but temporary -- structure that’s used as crews build a bridge, tunnel or even a box culvert.

You know when you drive under or over a freeway bridge that it’s a massive structure…
There are the two abutments (the upright supporting structures at each end that carries the load of the bridge span), there are usually center columns or piers, and, of course, the girders and the bridge deck (the part you actually drive across).